Intel Roadmap: BGA Chips Set to Play More Important Role in Desktop PC Segment

As personal computers tend to become thinner and lighter, their components should also get smaller, even at the cost of their upgradeability. Intel Corp. understands all the trends very well and in the coming year it will offer a bunch of different chips in ball-grid array (BGA) packaging aiming different market segments.

As reported before, Intel will offer two types of chips in BGA form-factor: Intel Core i7 and Core i5 central processing units based on Haswell micro-architecture; as well as will offer Celeron- and Pentium-branded system-on-chips based on Silvermont micro-architecture. According to slides from Intel roadmap published by MyCE web-site, Intel will only offer chips with 65W and 10W thermal design power in BGA packaging. As a result, there will be not too much choice for systems with embedded microprocessors.

A good news for those, looking forward buying desktops that do not allow any kind of upgradeability is that all of the chips that will power them will feature highest-performing graphics cores that Intel has to offer, e.g., Iris Pro graphics 5200 or seventh-generation HD Graphics adapter.

Intel will start offering Intel Core i7 and Core i5 microprocessors in BGA packaging sometimes in late third quarter this year. By contrast, various Celeron and Pentium system-on-chips powered by Silvermont will only emerge in Q4 2013.

It is obvious that initially Intel will offer a limited lineup of BGA microprocessors for desktops. Nonetheless, it is clear that the family is considerably broader compared to that available today and includes not only low-cost central processing units, but also higher-performance offerings. As a result, it is evident that the share of Intel desktop chips in BGA form-factor is increasing.